San Onofre restart decision may come in March

Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, spoke to reporters about her recent tour of the San Onofre nuclear power plant at a meeting in San Juan Capistrano. Southern California Edison filed plans to restart Unit 2 and run the reactor at 70 percent of its full power, but will need approval from the NRC to move forward. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A decision on whether to allow the restart of a shuttered reactor at the San Onofre nuclear plant could come in March, federal regulators said Monday after a visit to the plant.

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission administrator, part of a group that included NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane, said he and other officials are awaiting responses from plant operator Southern California Edison to questions as they consider Edison's restart proposal.

"We're trying to render a decision in the March time-frame," said Arthur Howell, an NRC deputy regional administrator and manager of the San Onofre special project team.

Once they receive the responses, however, further work might be needed, including onsite inspections.

Both of San Onofre's reactors have been shut down for nearly a year because of problems with the steam generators. The Unit 2 reactor had been shut down for routine maintenance early last January, but on Jan. 31, a small leak of radioactive gas prompted the shutdown of Unit 3.

Edison has proposed restarting its Unit 2 reactor at 70 percent power, which is expected to eliminate vibrations that caused wear among thousands of tubes inside the plant's four steam generators.

Macfarlane and her team visited the nuclear plant and, in Orange County, held separate meetings with the press, environmental activists and community leaders.

"I just want to try to understand the issue better," said Macfarlane, who became chairwoman of the agency in July. "And I think you do that better when you actually visit a place and see the equipment and facilities firsthand."

The meetings, which included labor unions, were held in San Juan Capistrano.

"We need to hear everybody's concerns and make sure that we take account of them," she said.

Macfarlane and her team declined to comment on the push from some activists for a license amendment hearing on San Onofre.

On Wednesday, one group, the Friends of the Earth, will present its case to NRC officials in Maryland that Edison should have obtained a license amendment before installing the four steam generators in a massive, $671 million operation between 2009 and early 2011.

Separately, the same group also has requested a hearing on the proposed startup of Unit 2.

Edison officials said Monday that the next public meeting on San Onofre will take place Feb. 12 in Orange County. The location has not yet been announced.

Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, spoke to reporters about her recent tour of the San Onofre nuclear power plant at a meeting in San Juan Capistrano. Southern California Edison filed plans to restart Unit 2 and run the reactor at 70 percent of its full power, but will need approval from the NRC to move forward. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, spoke to reporters about her recent tour of the San Onofre nuclear power plant at a meeting in San Juan Capistrano. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
"I'm concerned about the situation and I'm interested in the technical aspects of what went wrong," Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said during a news conference Monday in San Juan Capistrano. She was referring to the radiation leak that occurred Jan. 31, 2012, in the Unit 3 reactor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane spoke at a news conference Monday in San Juan Capistrano on the status of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Greg Warnick, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission senior resident inspector of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, fields questions from reporters about the state of the plant. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, estimates that by March the NRC will have reached a decision regarding the restart of the Unit 2 reactor at the San Onofre power plant. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane tours the facilities at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. COURTESY NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.